Paraben Free Dark Chocolate Almond Apple Crisp
Warm spiced apples bubbling beneath a golden, crunchy topping studded with dark chocolate — this dessert is the kind of thing that makes people hover near the oven. The filling leans on maple syrup, fresh lemon juice, and arrowroot starch to create a naturally thickened, jammy base that lets the fruit shine without any synthetic additives or preservatives. The topping layers rolled oats, almond flour, and roughly chopped raw almonds for serious texture, with melted coconut oil binding everything together into satisfying, crumbly clusters. Folding in chopped dark chocolate (70% cacao or higher) right before baking means you get pockets of rich, slightly bitter chocolate woven through every bite. For anyone navigating ingredient sensitivities tied to synthetic preservatives, cooking from scratch with whole, recognizable pantry staples like these is exactly the kind of control that makes a difference. The recipe is straightforward enough for a weeknight but impressive enough to bring to a gathering — just give it that ten-minute rest so the filling sets up beautifully before you dig in.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
For the apple filling
- 5 medium apples (about 2 ½ lb), peeled, cored, and sliced ¼-inch thick
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp arrowroot starch
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
For the oat-almond topping
- 1 ½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- ¾ cup almond flour
- ½ cup raw almonds, roughly chopped
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 2 oz dark chocolate (70% cacao or higher), roughly chopped
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with a small amount of coconut oil.
- 2
In a large mixing bowl, combine the sliced apples, 3 tbsp maple syrup, 1 tsp cinnamon, ground ginger, arrowroot starch, and lemon juice. Toss until the apples are evenly coated, then spread them in an even layer in the prepared baking dish.
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